Question re: Clutch Cross Shaft....'68

[Jason Conn]

The TIM&JG states that the cross shaft is a welded assembly zinc plated. No grease fitting is used in the shaft. A red plastic plug is in the threaded hole in the shaft....A modest amount of white grease lubricates the pivot points.

Question...anyone duplicate the zinc plating and how?

And...someone mistakenly screwed a zirc fitting in the shaft and filled it with chasis grease. Is the tube made to be filled with lube, or should the pivot points only be greased. Why else would they have a hole in the cross shaft?

Thanks, Jason

[Duke W.]

Re: Question re: Clutch Cross Shaft....'68

A local plater to you could zinc plate the cross shaft, but they usually charge by the pound and have a minimum, so you might find some other parts to throw in the lot.

In '63 the clutch cross shaft had a zerk fitting installed at the plant, and the shaft was filled with grease until it oozed out the ends. Relubrication was called for at 6000 miles along with the ball joints and steering linkage.

Beginning with the '64 model year the factory filled the cross shaft with grease and installed the plastic plug. I believe the grease interval was extended, but once that arrived, the procedure was to install a zerk and grease the fitting until it oozed out the ends. I suppose at that point the plug should have been reinstalled, but most servicers probably just left the zerk in the cross shaft. At least that is good evidence that it was greased at some point in its life.

It appears that since the entire hollow portion of the shaft is filled with grease Chevrolet Engineering determined that 6000 mile regreasing was not necessary.

Duke

[Roger Legge]

Re: Question re: Clutch Cross Shaft....'68

I have what I believe is a fairly original '68 and it suprised me when I read the cross-shaft should be zinc plated. Looking from the top, it looks like a natural finish. If it was zinc plated at one time, the plating sure got trashed over time.

Roger
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